What should I concentrate on next?

[idkjustchooseone]

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[Mr.Smile12]

You are on the right track. I would also make efforts to network with students at the schools where you want to attend during the year before applying. Have your eyes opened about what really goes on in school.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

Why no gap year?

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hello everyone!

I am just a little confused on what to do next to make my application better! I recently finished my sophomore year. I have been scribing since May 2021 and got around 750 hours. I quit that recently because I was getting sick of writing so many histories lol. I just got a volunteering position as a tutor for adult literacy in my community, as well as a research position in my university. I am shadowing a physician currently, and I also have about 1000 hours as a manufacturer in a factory. I just have a couple of questions regarding applying.

I want to try to get straight into medical school without a gap year, if these are my only experiences, would that be enough? If more is needed, what do you guys think I should work on? I am thinking I need more than 1 volunteering experience, but how many different experiences is needed? I am also curious about the need for clinical volunteering, I've seen many people say it's not needed if you have paid clinical hours, but what do you guys think?


THANKS!!!!

If you have worked in a clinical setting, you don't need clinical volunteer work.

I would not totally stop clinical work for any length of time because you will claim in your application that you love it and want to do it for the rest of your life. Taking a break is OK, but I wouldn't encourage you to say, "I've done scribing and X hours of shadowing. I can check the clinical box. I'm done until I get to med school."

I would encourage you to seek a leadership role either on campus or your community or perhaps in the literacy program that you are involved in.

Finally, take the MCAT after prepping for it. I suspect the earliest you can take it is January and if you can do so, you'll want to do it next winter. That way if you need to postpone or retake, you'll have the time to do so. You'll also have your scores back well before AMCAS opens so you'll be able to select the schools you are applying to when you know your score. Only take the MCAT if you have completed all the pre-requisites for it.

 

[idkjustchooseone]

You are on the right track. I would also make efforts to network with students at the schools where you want to attend during the year before applying. Have your eyes opened about what really goes on in school.

Interesting, when you say "what really goes on in school," is there something in specific I should look out for? More competitive in a certain school? Faculty and staff?

 

[idkjustchooseone]

Why no gap year?

I think my application will be good enough to go straight into medical school (hopefully) and I don't see a big benefit of taking a gap year! I don't find it relaxing living at home and I don't really need to travel.

 

[idkjustchooseone]

I would not totally stop clinical work for any length of time because you will claim in your application that you love it and want to do it for the rest of your life. Taking a break is OK, but I wouldn't encourage you to say, "I've done scribing and X hours of shadowing. I can check the clinical box. I'm done until I get to med school."

That is something I was worried about, so it doesn't have to be volunteering, just stay in a clinical setting somehow.

Finally, take the MCAT after prepping for it. I suspect the earliest you can take it is January and if you can do so, you'll want to do it next winter. That way if you need to postpone or retake, you'll have the time to do so. You'll also have your scores back well before AMCAS opens so you'll be able to select the schools you are applying to when you know your score. Only take the MCAT if you have completed all the pre-requisites for it.

I am going to prep to take the MCAT this January hopefully, and apply next year! I have a light semester this Fall, so hopefully that gives me a lot of time for ECs and MCAT.

What do you think about any other volunteering experiences? Is having only the one on my application enough? Or should I look for at least one more program to get involved in?

Thank you for your reply

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Interesting, when you say "what really goes on in school," is there something in specific I should look out for? More competitive in a certain school? Faculty and staff?

I cover this in the Becoming a Student Doctor course though I think you will have your own specific concerns unique to your needs.

 

[chilly_md]

Get some service in to those less fortunate. Think homeless shelter, women's shelter, soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, working with refugees etc. You can help a lot in this area over the course of a year.

 

[LindaAccepted]

That is something I was worried about, so it doesn't have to be volunteering, just stay in a clinical setting somehow.

I am going to prep to take the MCAT this January hopefully, and apply next year! I have a light semester this Fall, so hopefully that gives me a lot of time for ECs and MCAT.

What do you think about any other volunteering experiences? Is having only the one on my application enough? Or should I look for at least one more program to get involved in?

Thank you for your reply

I'm going to guess that the adult literacy course that you are tutoring is serving the disadvantaged. If you enjoy this work, I'd continue it. if it's not serving a disadvantaged community, then seek a volunteer position where you engage with that community. Also, if you don't enjoy the tutoring or want to serve in a different way, then seek a different volunteer position serving the disadvantaged.

 

[idkjustchooseone]

I'm going to guess that the adult literacy course that you are tutoring is serving the disadvantaged. If you enjoy this work, I'd continue it. if it's not serving a disadvantaged community, then seek a volunteer position where you engage with that community. Also, if you don't enjoy the tutoring or want to serve in a different way, then seek a different volunteer position serving the disadvantaged.

I believe I need to still get more clinical work, probably by volunteering. I also want to do one more volunteering opportunity in a food bank or something to help the less fortunate. This, along with MCAT studying, and research are on the agenda for the next year. With all of this, and a good MCAT score, do you believe my application will be ready based off extracurriculars?

 

[LindaAccepted]

If you have a competitive GPA and a high MCAT score, continue or carry out the additional volunteer commitments mentioned in your post, and apply to appropriate schools, you should be in good shape.

 

[idkjustchooseone]

If you have worked in a clinical setting, you don't need clinical volunteer work.

I would not totally stop clinical work for any length of time because you will claim in your application that you love it and want to do it for the rest of your life. Taking a break is OK, but I wouldn't encourage you to say, "I've done scribing and X hours of shadowing. I can check the clinical box. I'm done until I get to med school."

I would encourage you to seek a leadership role either on campus or your community or perhaps in the literacy program that you are involved in.

Finally, take the MCAT after prepping for it. I suspect the earliest you can take it is January and if you can do so, you'll want to do it next winter. That way if you need to postpone or retake, you'll have the time to do so. You'll also have your scores back well before AMCAS opens so you'll be able to select the schools you are applying to when you know your score. Only take the MCAT if you have completed all the pre-requisites for it.

Sorry to bring this back so late. When you talk about how I should stay consistent with clinical work, I’m a little confused on different ways how to. I got 700 or so hours of scribing, i just started research and am now volunteering and studying for mcat+my classes. Is consistently staying in a clinical setting more important than working on other aspects of my application?

Thanks

 

[LindaAccepted]

Sorry to bring this back so late. When you talk about how I should stay consistent with clinical work, I’m a little confused on different ways how to. I got 700 or so hours of scribing, i just started research and am now volunteering and studying for mcat+my classes. Is consistently staying in a clinical setting more important than working on other aspects of my application?

Thanks

What kind of volunteering are you doing? Is that the literacy tutoring?

 

[idkjustchooseone]

What kind of volunteering are you doing? Is that the literacy tutoring?

Yes that would be the adult literacy tutoring

 

[LindaAccepted]

Given your scribe job in the past and your other commitments now, why don't you go back to clinical volunteering after you finishing prepping for the MCAT. (I'm assuming that you plan to take the MCAT either at the end of this summer or in January) That will give you a few months to prep. At the same time, by the time you apply, you should have a few months of a different clinical experience in this new role.

 

[candbgirl]

Since we know so little about you and you are early in the game I just wanted to remind you that it’s important to be passionate about your ECs. You will be expected to write and talk about ECs. IMO it really sounds like you are doing things just to have something to put done on your application. This isn’t a good plan.
Did you know that each cycle less than 40% of all applicants are accepted to a medical school and about half of that number are accepted to only one school. That means close to 60% of applicants are outright rejected. And this includes applicants with stellar applications.
I understand you have personal reasons for not wanting a gap year but don’t apply until you have the very best application possible. You only want to apply one time. So if you need a gap year (or even two) be wise and take it. You want your application to be so comprehensive that it screams “ pick me for an interview”.

Good luck on the MCAT.

 

[KnightDoc]

Since we know so little about you and you are early in the game I just wanted to remind you that it’s important to be passionate about your ECs. You will be expected to write and talk about ECs. IMO it really sounds like you are doing things just to have something to put done on your application. This isn’t a good plan.
Did you know that each cycle less than 40% of all applicants are accepted to a medical school and about half of that number are accepted to only one school. That means close to 60% of applicants are outright rejected. And this includes applicants with stellar applications.
I understand you have personal reasons for not wanting a gap year but don’t apply until you have the very best application possible. You only want to apply one time. So if you need a gap year (or even two) be wise and take it. You want your application to be so comprehensive that it screams “ pick me for an interview”.

Good luck on the MCAT.

This^^^^^^. It's also important to note that around 2/3 of all accepted applicants have at least one gap year, and that includes people in BS/MD programs. So the actual number, excluding BS/MD and other direct entry programs, is around 75%.

There is a reason for this! While many people enjoy the break before starting the grind of medical school, and others are non traditional career changers, a TON of people plan on a gap year or two because they realize they just won't be competitive without them, given the med school admissions landscape today.

 

[idkjustchooseone]

Since we know so little about you and you are early in the game I just wanted to remind you that it’s important to be passionate about your ECs. You will be expected to write and talk about ECs. IMO it really sounds like you are doing things just to have something to put done on your application. This isn’t a good plan.
Did you know that each cycle less than 40% of all applicants are accepted to a medical school and about half of that number are accepted to only one school. That means close to 60% of applicants are outright rejected. And this includes applicants with stellar applications.
I understand you have personal reasons for not wanting a gap year but don’t apply until you have the very best application possible. You only want to apply one time. So if you need a gap year (or even two) be wise and take it. You want your application to be so comprehensive that it screams “ pick me for an interview”.

Good luck on the MCAT.

I'm definitely passionate about what I do! I appreciate the concern, and I'm sure it looks like I'm coming off as someone who is just trying to get a checklist done, but I'm very happy with my experiences. I get to work with people who've had the same struggles as people close to me, I learned a lot about the roles of a physician in my clinical job, and I am being exposed to a whole new atmosphere with my research job. I like to believe I'm finding a balance between things I'm passionate about while also fulfilling the medical school requirements.

Regarding the gap year, I do understand that it would most definitely be beneficial for my application, and I took that factor into mind. I just think if I'm able to get in after my undergrad, I would definitely take that approach. There are some things that I would want to do in undergrad, that if I'm not able to find the time for, then I will definitely take a gap year.

I appreciate your input